Health Innovation North West Coast is a key partner in a national initiative to tackle antimicrobial resistance (AMR), one of the most significant global health challenges of our age.
AMR threatens the effectiveness of medicines used to treat infections in human, animal and plant health, and addressing the problem requires collaboration that extends beyond traditional healthcare boundaries.
The ARREST-AMR (Accurate, Rapid, Robust and Economical One Health Diagnostics for antimicrobial resistance) Network brings together expertise from human health, veterinary medicine, agriculture, plant health and the environment.
Health Innovation North West Coast is connecting stakeholders who do not traditionally work together, helping ensure solutions to AMR are informed by diverse perspectives and real-world needs.
Working with the ARREST-AMR Network, which is funded by UK Research and Innovation, Health Innovation North West Coast co-designed and facilitated a series of cross-sector focus groups involving clinicians, veterinarians, farmers, environmental organisations, policymakers and academic experts.
These discussions identified priorities for diagnostic innovations to help prevent, detect and manage antimicrobial resistance across a One Health system.
The insights have directly informed the development of target product profiles (TPPs) – evidence-based documents defining the characteristics of future diagnostics and technologies required to meet real-world needs.
By ensuring these profiles reflect priorities across multiple sectors, the Network is helping guide future research, innovation and investment towards solutions that are relevant, practical and implementable.
The work has also strengthened relationships across sectors, increased awareness of AMR as a shared One Health challenge and created new opportunities for collaboration. Health Innovation North West Coast has played a central role in translating complex stakeholder discussions into practical outputs and reports to support future innovation, policy development and investment.
As the ARREST-AMR Network develops, Health Innovation North West Coast will continue to foster cross-sector collaboration, including through the forthcoming ARREST-AMR Network meeting and stakeholder engagement workshop. The meeting will bring together partners from healthcare, academia, industry, agriculture, veterinary medicine and environmental organisations to share learning, strengthen partnerships and shape the next phase of collaborative research and innovation.
Sesha Venkateswaran, lead for the ARREST-AMR Network, and Research Project Manager, Precision Healthcare University Research Institute (PHURI), Queen Mary University of London, said: "Health Innovation North West Coast has been invaluable in bringing together the right people and perspectives at a critical stage. Their ability to convene stakeholders across healthcare, agriculture and environmental sectors has strengthened our understanding of the challenges and opportunities surrounding antimicrobial resistance.
“This collaborative approach is helping ensure future innovations are shaped by real-world needs and have the greatest potential to improve health across the One Health system."
For more information, visit the ARREST-AMR website.
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